COVID-19 shows its nails again, but Europe no longer closes: spring maneuvers will not be repeated

Most of the new cases are in Spain and France, but record numbers are also being recorded in smaller countries. Records are broken every day in the Czech Republic, with many new infections confirmed in Lithuania and Estonia.

But neither the Spanish nor the French, nor many other European countries, promise to take measures like those of the spring. Instead, governments are announcing carefully designed specific measures, such as local restrictions on chimneys.

Furthermore, citizens are constantly encouraged to take care of themselves and respect others, to act responsibly and to follow all recommendations regarding the use of masks or social distance.

In the spring, of course, there were different behaviors, not all, but many states announced strict restrictions on public life. They managed to control the spread of the virus at least then, but the economies of the region have contracted further since World War II.

New restrictions will prevail

The new wave of infections primarily affects younger people: Many of those who have heard of COVID-19 infection in recent weeks experience only very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

And while health experts warn that a cold-weather pandemic will become more dangerous as people spend more time behind closed doors, politicians are largely rejecting new large-scale “closures.”

“If the situation worsens, most of the time we will be able to intervene with specific restrictive measures in a very small part of the country,” said Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister of Italy, which just closed in the spring.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn even admitted that the government, which announced a relatively mild “shutdown” in the spring, would still have maneuvered differently if it had known more about the spread of COVID-19.

“It just came to our attention then. It is up to us if we will control its spread and learn to live with it,” Spahn said.

And in Lithuania, both Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis and Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga assure that shops or cafes will not be closed. The new quarantine is said to be local only or applies to an area.

Many things are in the hands of the citizens

Herman Goosens, a microbiologist at the University of Antwerp, who coordinates the work of the EU research advisory team, explains why the rationale for doing so now is quite simple.

In the spring, the debate on the spread of COVID-19 in Europe is said to have been dominated by public health experts. They shared science-based advice that led to the announcement of restrictions: not much thought was given to the consequences for social and economic life.

Jens Spahn: This virus will stay with us. It is up to us to control its spread and learn to live with it.

Now, of course, politicians have seen the damage that such restrictions do to the economy and have decided to sideline the opinion of scientists.

And Goosens himself now admits that EU decision-makers who talk about coronavirus differently are being advised to ask people not only to listen to government instructions, but also to take personal responsibility. .

“People should be encouraged to stay away from others, wear masks, avoid meetings, and not interact with people at risk. In the case of AIDS, we ask for the use of condoms.

Now let’s talk about skins and other tools. The government cannot do much ”, explained the scientist.

Decisions are made by elected leaders

As already mentioned, the new most acute outbreak is observed in Spain. On average, around 9.7 thousand people register there per day. new cases of COVID-19, and these figures are increasing the pressure on hospitals in some regions of Spain.

The most difficult situation is that of Madrid, where patients with COVID-19 currently represent 21%. in all bed hospitals. It is true that in November a new hospital is expected to open for a thousand infectious disease sites on the outskirts of the Spanish capital.

However, Fernando Simón, who coordinates Spain’s response to the coronavirus crisis, says: “It makes no sense to close Madrid at this time.”

Instead, responsibilities have been transferred to regional administrations: restrictions are advertised in small towns or even individual neighborhoods.

Also in France, around 8.3 thousand are published daily. new cases of coronavirus infection. It is true that, as in other places, the number of deaths is much lower than in April. If at that time around 500 deaths per day were reported during the peak, now there are only a few dozen.

“The government will have to make a series of difficult decisions in the next 8 to 10 days,” warned Dr. Jean-Francois Delfraissy, head of a group of scientists advising the government last week.

Macron: No scientist makes decisions. Everyone must remain in their places. Decisions are made by democratically elected leaders.

But French President Emmanuel Macron immediately shrugged.

Emphasizing that the government is simultaneously trying to control the pandemic and allow people to live in it normally, he added: “It is not the scientists who make the decisions. Everyone must remain in their places. Decisions are made by democratically elected leaders. “

Italians are cautious, Germans protest

Such a reaction is perhaps not surprising, as two months of strict quarantine earlier this year hit the French economy hard. In the second quarter of the year alone, it fell by as much as 13.8 percent.

True, in many cities of the country it is still mandatory to wear a mask, not only outdoors, but also in the workplace. The mask should also be worn by children from the age of 11 to school.

However, the government, believing that tourists floating through the country now, in late summer and fall, have contributed to the large outbreak, is reluctant to announce new smaller quarantines even in regions where the virus is spreading widely. more aggressive than elsewhere.

It may be that the French are more relaxed than the Italians. Here, the second wave of coronavirus is not that big: about 1.4 thousand. new infections.

But Italians suffered greatly in the spring and saw up close how the bodies of COVID-19 victims had to be transported to the northern city of Bergamo, including by army trucks. On the other hand, it is observed in the country that not only young people are infected but also people 50 years of age or older.

“We are starting to see the spread in families,” said Giovanni Rezza, Italy’s chief epidemiologist. “Therefore, we must continue to exercise caution.”

For its part, Germany, which has suffered less from the virus than other Western countries, also has to deal with large protests against COVID-19: people do not like masks being worn in shops and on public transport.

“We need to get more from the citizens themselves, not to talk about new constraints. The pandemic is by no means over, but we have to find a way to live with the virus,” said Hendrik Streeck, professor of virology at the University of Bonn.